Every product that has become commercialized began as a concept. As the concept evolves, it passes through a series of stages that transform the concept into a fully functional product that fulfills a need and achieves an objective.
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While releasing a fully developed, finalized product that meets your objectives is the goal, taking your idea from concept to this end goal is a detailed process. An important first step is to create a prototype.
We can define “prototype” as an original model serving as a product template. A prototype provides a physical representation of your concept and allows for testing the concept and functionality. Part design renderings, computer models, or mockups are great tools for explaining and envisioning the design, but a prototype provides an actual physical representation of your product.
Perhaps you have a simple, easy-to-construct idea, or maybe you have a complex concept in mind and a clear vision of its design and functionality. In either situation, you may wonder why a prototype is necessary. While a prototype may accurately represent all the knowledge and skill behind the concept, it also acts as a vehicle for discovery.
A prototype is developed to demonstrate what you know and to uncover any obstacles, complications, or flaws you haven’t yet encountered. Every concept has limitations and opportunities for improvement that may not become apparent until the product is made. Creating a prototype before entering full production allows you to conclude proof of concept, test, and uncover what design revisions are needed to improve the part geometry and performance of the product.
A prototype helps ensure the production mold is built to the exact part design specifications, before you start making your final product. During prototyping, you’ll have opportunities to modify your part design before going into final production. Without a prototype, you could find the parts produced from the production mold do not perform as needed, requiring changes to the final mold that can prove to be costly and cause delays to the launch of your new product.
Creating a prototype of you product is a responsible first step in the production process that can benefit the long-term success of your product. A prototype brings your vision to life for the first time and allows you to creatively expand your concept. There are many advantages to making prototypes in the early stages of production:
The type of prototype you choose to create is important to the success of a product. You want a prototype that accurately represents the product’s appearance and function. The closer your prototype reflects the product, the easier your audience will grasp the concept and correctly use the product. Depending on the size, complexity, materials, and real-world application of the product, you may need to select a specific prototype that can sufficiently represent the product’s design and functionality.
The following prototypes have inherent advantages that make them ideal for capturing the essence of a concept, portraying the product’s potential, or executing the actual product’s functions.
As you determine which type of prototype would best reflect your concept, you must also be aware of other factors that will influence the production and success of the prototype.
You can begin to determine which type of prototype will accurately depict your concept and meet your prototype objectives, by applying these questions to each prototype form. For instance, if you choose to design a scale model or evolutionary prototype, you’ll need to be aware of how much time and financing it will take to modify the existing prototype as your needs change.
Prototype creation requires careful thought, planning, and execution. You can use the following steps to help you create a successful prototype to ensure your final product is the best it can be:
Planning is critical to ensure the highest chance of success. You’ll want to determine early on what’s important to your prototype, such as your product’s most exciting or notable features. You’ll also want to acknowledge the limitations of prototyping. Costs can run high if you have a lot of runs, so you’ll want to set specific goals for each prototype run.
Product prototyping can help you develop a strong return on your investment, so it’s essential to use the right strategy to create a successful prototype.
Having your product concept documented can help you be more effective through the prototyping process. A chronicle detailing your concept will help you better understand the ins and outs of your product design, helping you determine what works and what doesn’t. It will be easier to keep track of your product design as you go through the stages of prototyping so you know where to make improvements and what you’ve already tried.
There are many different methods for creating a prototype, and some work better for certain products than others. You’ll want to conduct sufficient research into the different types of prototypes, what’s common in your industry, and what would give you the best results before you start prototype production.
Even if you have a complex design, keeping your prototype simple is best. It’s easier to spot flaws in simple designs, and something too complex can cause you to overlook crucial components of your design. As you get closer to official product production, you can always build up to a more complex design.
Most prototypes aren’t perfect after the first parts are made. In fact, many products go through several prototyping runs before the design is finalized and ready for full scale production. The prototyping process is your opportunity to revisit and rework your design, and to apply what has been learned from each iteration to ensure your product is the best possible.
While you can detail the prototype process yourself, consulting with a professional is always a good idea. The expertise and knowledge of a professional can help you create prototypes that are as close to the final product as possible. Professional prototype manufacturers can walk you through the process, make suggestions for improvements and help you through each run.
Mistakes are possible during prototype creation and processing, but many are avoidable. Two common mistakes can occur when creating a prototype — not modifying or refining the design during each iteration and losing sight of the big picture.
If you create a prototype that doesn’t turn out as expected, it doesn’t mean the entire design is a failure. Prototypes are used to identify what works and what doesn’t, so rather than discarding them, you should consider what improvements can be made to the product. You should also consider how the design can be modified and simplified to improve manufacturability and functionality.
Additionally, if you’re focused on the smallest details, it can detract from the big picture required to create a successful prototype and final product. While it can be easy to become fixated on the smaller details, it can hinder you from concentrating on the overall design and slow the overall process. As you’re creating new prototypes, you should have people outside your team test the product to ensure it sustains its functionality and purpose.
If the final product will be in LSR, a liquid silicone rubber injection mold will provide prototype parts that are very close to final production parts. This is the ideal prototyping methodology for testing part functionality — how your parts will work in the application and the tactile and ergonomic features.
SIMTEC is proud to offer prototype manufacturing, in advance of full-scale production for our customers who are seeking early parts needed for clinical and functional testing. We support our customers during these important early design and prototyping stages, guiding and working closely together to optimize the part’s design and manufacturing process to ensure final parts are exact and will perform as needed.
Prototyping is an essential step in the product development process that allows designers to test concepts, evaluate form and function, and refine designs. Choosing the appropriate prototyping technique is very important for creating effective prototypes that provide meaningful insights without requiring excessive time and costs.
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The prototyping method must align with key requirements like intended purpose, geometric complexity, material properties, and quantity needed. Factors like budget, available capabilities, and needs for future modifications should also guide the selection process. Trade-offs exist between rapid low-fidelity and slower high-fidelity methods that must be balanced for each project.
Prototype tooling refers to the methods and equipment used to create prototype parts and products for testing and evaluation. This includes tools like molds, patterns, jigs, fixtures, and various forms of tooling that enable the prototyping of concepts without full-scale production tooling.
Prototype tooling allows designers to physically realize designs and gather insights early in the product development process. Testing functional prototypes can reveal design flaws, demonstrate proof-of-concepts, and provide valuable feedback to improve the design before committing to production. This reduces risk and saves time and costs compared to finding issues after production tooling is made.
Prototype tooling is commonly used in the automotive, industrial equipment, consumer products, electronics, and medical devices industries. Specific applications include creating concept models, functional prototypes, pre-production samples, and low-volume production bridging tools. Common scenarios are evaluating ergonomics and aesthetics with form models, performance testing with functional prototypes, and validating capabilities with pilot runs.
A wide variety of prototype tooling methods are available to turn a design into a physical prototype. The major technique categories include:
Rapid prototyping typically refers to additive manufacturing processes that build parts layer-by-layer without part-specific tooling. Common methods include fused deposition modeling (FDM), stereolithography (SLA), selective laser sintering (SLS), and PolyJet. Benefits include speed, low cost for one-offs, and complex geometries. Limitations are material properties and accuracy.
Both manual and CNC machining are used for prototyping. CNC allows automation for improved consistency and complexity. Typical processes are milling, turning, and drilling. Ideal for durable, functional prototypes from metals or plastics. Limited on shapes by cutting tool access.
Low-cost prototype molds with 3D printed inserts can be used for 10-100+ parts. Production-quality prototype molds machined in aluminum or brass provide 500-+ parts. These molds are ideal for rapid prototyping injection molding, allowing you to test designs, ergonomics, and assemblies before full production.
Casts prototypes by pouring material into silicone molds under vacuum. Quick and relatively low cost. Limited material selection and mold life. Common for low-volume parts or bridge tooling before production volumes.
Cutting, bending, and welding sheet metal allows fabricating enclosures and structures. It is relatively fast and inexpensive, useful for concept models and design testing before committing to die tools.
Additional techniques, such as thermoforming, investment casting, and urethane casting, provide other capabilities. Selection depends on the need for realism, functionality, tooling cost, and lead time.
With various prototyping methods available, narrowing down the options to find the best fit for a project’s specific needs can be challenging. Carefully weighing each consideration against the key requirements, capabilities, and constraints helps determine the ideal prototyping technique for the application.
The following chart categorizes key considerations such as complexity, cost, speed, strength, and functionality across various prototyping methods to assist in making an informed decision. This breakdown provides a clear comparison to help select the most suitable technique for your specific project needs:
The intended use of the prototype guides selection. Methods like 3D printing or CNC may work for concept models, while functional testing requires more robust techniques. Define how the prototypes will be evaluated. Products in the medical device space, for example, must undergo rigorous functional testing that requires the parts to be produced in the manner that they will ultimately be fabricated.
Consider strength, aesthetics, and other material property needs. Rapid prototyping has limited material choice compared to machining, molding, or casting. Select the process capable of utilizing the appropriate material.
Simple shapes allow more options, while complex geometries limit choices. Assess design elements like undercuts, deep channels, and fine features and the level of effort required to form these features in the selected prototype tooling method.
Volume and expected changes guide tooling decisions. Low-volume single parts suit rapid prototyping, while higher volumes justify soft tooling. Frequent iterations make modular tooling components favorable.
In-house systems reduce cost and lead time for iterations but require capital investment. Outsourcing increases capacity and expertise without a burden on equipment.
Weigh the relative costs and development times for each method. Lower tooling cost techniques often have longer lead times. Based on project needs, prioritize the budget or schedule.
To choose the optimal prototyping technique, it is imperative to carefully evaluate requirements, capabilities, trade-offs, and future needs:
The prototyping method must match the project requirements, such as functionality, accuracy, material choice, complexity, quantity, and lead time. List all requirements and capabilities to find the best process fit. Selecting an inappropriate method can lead to prototypes that fail to provide the necessary validation, resulting in development delays and additional costs.
Prototyping decisions often involve trade-offs between speed, cost, quality, and material options. Generally, the faster and cheaper a process is, the more limited its capabilities. For example, 3D printing is fast with low upfront cost but has drawbacks for finished appearance, strength, and material choice. Balance trade-offs based on the current priority: fast concept validation, realistic testing, or mimicking production.
The selected method should be flexible enough to accommodate changes in future prototype iterations. Consider how easy it is to modify and rework the tooling for an evolving design. Production-focused tooling like metal molds can be restrictive for iterations, while modular tooling components can speed adaptation. Planning ahead allows for efficient progress through the refinement process.
Selecting the right prototyping method is vital to efficient and effective product development. Aligning the tooling approach with current-stage priorities while considering future needs allows companies to maximize learning while minimizing wasted effort.
Whether the focus is proof-of-concept, design validation, or pre-production, choosing the prototyping technique that balances the application’s capability, flexibility, and cost will yield high-value prototypes. Prototyping itself is an iterative process, so being able to quickly adapt methods positions teams to glean insights faster and accelerate development.
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